Factors Affecting Willingness to Leave Digital Footprinton Social Networking Sites in Sri Lanka

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to examine the relationship between willingness to leave a digital footprint on social networking sites of Sri Lankan social networking site users and personal factors, social factors, technical factors, and privacy and security. Social networking sites can be identified as networks and applications that allow the user to create and share content through the internet; Facebook, YouTube, Twitter etc. Everything people do in the digital world is a digital footprint; photos, comments, views etc. Personal factors are identified with openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness and emotional stability. Social factors influence social capital and social relations. Technology factor is based on ease of use, easy to adapt, perceived benefits. Privacy and security describe ability, integrity and predictability. Today social networking sites have come to a very different level by improving its’ facilities. The community uses several digital devices to interact with social networking sites; mobile phones, tabs, laptops etc. the research is focused on social networking site user behaviour.So, it is important for users to identify other social networking sites users. Also, this research help government to create new rules and regulations to manipulate digital worldethics. This research provides literature to future researchers. The population of the study is all social networking site users in Sri Lanka. An online structured questionnaire method was selected to collect primary data. A questionnaire is distributed among 56 social networking site users. Cronbach Alpha and test-retest method for reliability test and descriptive statistical analysis tools such as frequency, mean, standard deviation and variation were used. Findings of this research indicate privacy and security has a significant relationship with willingness to leave a digital footprint on the social network in Sri Lanka. But personal factors, social factors, and technological factors have no relationship with willingness to leave a digital footprint on the social network in Sri Lanka.